On the Wing: The Origins of Katalina Tarumi
by Anatonia Barcelona
Summary: Everyone has a story, be it long, short, or a work in progress, and every Arrancar in Las Noches can remember the time before Sosuke Aizen entered their lives. The Unaffiliated Fracción is no different; this is her story. Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo-sama, but this story, its plot and its loverly cover art belong to me.
1. Survival of the Fittest

Hueco Mundo. Like the name implied, it was a land of emptiness, miles of white desert sand illuminated by the silvery light of the full moon above. For the most part, silence reigned here, only disturbed by the shifting of desert sand in the wind or the anguished cry of a Hollow that had just become prey. Perched high in the black branches of a dead tree sat a large owl Adjucha, closed eyes accented by the horn-like feathers above them. The bottom of each one was outlined with one white crescent overlaying a black one, its swoop skirting up the sides of her beak. Her wings practically glowed in the moonlight, the long white feathers accented by the ruddy brown and inky black speckling them and dyeing the tips. Shingled, bone-like legs led to long black talons that curved around the branch, fastening her to it effortlessly. A sudden breeze stirred the sand beneath the tree and her eyes opened. They were bright round orbs that seemed even larger because of the pattern under them, the red color similar to that of candy coating.

Her head whipped around to survey the area behind her, the rest of her body staying perfectly in place. Though there was visibly no danger around her, she could sense that there was some poorly hidden spiritual pressure nearby, meaning prey was approaching. She turned her head the right way around and opened her wings, which made her figure even more imposing. She pushed herself high into the starry skies, sharp eyes scanning the alabaster sands below. If she had been physically capable, she would have smirked when she saw the Hollow galloping over the dunes. She circled noiselessly above it and then dove from the air, talons extended. Before her target could even register her presence, her talons went through its shoulders and its neck was bitten into, its blood staining the beak of the winged predator as it let out a final scream. She returned to her perch in the tree and tucked her wings back to her body, casually ripping bits of flesh off of her catch and consuming it.

Being of the same species, one would think that she would feel some sense of kinship between herself and her fellow Hollows, but that was not the case here. By her very nature, this Adjucha was a predator as well as a solitary creature. It was her firm belief that no such loyalty should exist. To her, there was no point in building up meaningless alliances; the only way to achieve power, to rise to the next level, was by her own strength and to consume the strength of others to increase it. Survival of the fittest. This was the way of the Hollow.

This was her life.


	2. Flying Solo

_I_ really _hate it when they run._

The owl Adjucha had flown out into the open desert, chasing after a large, slender Hollow that dove in and out of the sand like a fish. Normally she would not stray more than a mile and a half from her perch, but this Hollow's spirit energy had smelled too delicious to let it slip away. Plus, a Hollow that size would be enough to keep her sated for a long time. So here she was, at least five miles away from her beloved tree and trying to time her descent, as the other Hollow would resurface at the most random of intervals. In all honesty, it was annoying her to the point that she wanted to give up on it, but her stubborn streak overrode her annoyance and she continued her pursuit, opening her talons as she prepared to strike. She closed her eyes as soon as she saw it dive beneath the surface, taking a breath. She let her _pesquisa_ take over as she calmly glided lower and then abruptly set herself in a dive.

Just as she leveled herself a couple meters above the ground, the Hollow burst from the sand and her eyes snapped open. It was a bit larger than she had anticipated up close, she noted, but that did not stop her from dragging her talons across its face. It thrashed wildly at the pain, its body landing on the sand with a thud. It wriggled awkwardly and screamed, doing little beyond that. For all of its girth, it was nothing but a dumb beast and the huntress decided to end its miserable existence with a slash to the throat. It was the merciful thing to do. She watched it writhe frantically and then slump into the ground, blood spilling from its lifeless corpse. The owl landed beside it, leaning down to tear a hunk of its flesh out. _It tastes just as good as it smelled,_ she thought with a contented sigh.

"That was a very impressive technique."

After years of listening to her own voice as she patted herself on the back for her various victories, she knew for a fact that this voice did not belong to her. Her head turned a near one-hundred-eighty degrees and she was kicking herself for suddenly becoming prey instead of predator. How had she not sensed any incoming spiritual pressure? Then again, she had been reasonably distracted by her meal and this Hollow was Vasto Lorde-class.

She stared unblinkingly at the unwelcome female standing on a nearby dune, silently sizing her up. She had a decidedly more humanoid shape than most of the Hollows the owl had seen of late, a shock of blonde hair peeking out of the top of her head. The little bit of skin that could be seen was a deep tan and aqua eyes stared back at the Adjucha just as intently. The rest of her body was covered with bones that took the shape of a shark, even going up so far as to cover her mouth and encase her left arm in a large blade. The owl knew that, theoretically, she had the advantage in size, but she also knew better than to underestimate someone that had managed to sneak up on her so easily.

"And who might you be?" she finally asked after giving the Vasto Lorde another sweeping glance, her cheerful tone in complete contrast to her blank expression.

The one in question slid down the dune and took a few steps forward, causing the owl's eyes to narrow in suspicion, a reaction that was obviously noted because the blonde stopped just a little ways away from her. "My name," she began, her voice gentle, yet authoritative, "Is Tier Harribel. Do you have a name?"

"Of course I do. Doesn't everyone?" The owl scoffed and tilted her head in annoyance, sticking one foot's talons through her kill to keep it firmly pinned beneath her. "It's Katalina Tarumi."

Harribel shook her head at the Adjucha's actions. "There is no need for that. I have no interest in robbing you of what is yours." She had to bite back a sigh when the owl, Katalina, tore another chunk of the fallen Hollow's flesh off and shoved the bloody piece into her mouth. "There is also no need for you to kill in order to strengthen yourself."

Katalina looked at the blonde again, this time turning her body completely to regard her. "Clearly you have forgotten where you are living. There is a very simple law: you kill or you will be killed. It's the strong that survive," She said with a huff, again the sweet tone clashing with the acidity of her words. "A fact that you should know well, Vasto Lorde."

"I am well aware of this." Harribel continued, putting her uncovered hand on her hip. "However, I realized some time ago that it is possible to become stronger without having to kill and consume the strength of others."

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Katalina nearly sighed; she wanted to continue her meal lecture-free.

Harribel's eyebrows seemed to lower over her already serious eyes. "As I said before, it is possible to become stronger without consuming other Hollows. I also know that my own strength is not always enough, but the combined strength of a team could overpower any opponent." She explained, strongly resisting the urge to smack the flesh from the Adjucha's talons.

Katalina was deliberately maintaining eye contact with Harribel as she consumed her kill and deliberately let the blood run down her plumage, knowing full well that it was probably irritating the Vasto Lorde. That was the penalty for interrupting her dinner. "I see where this is going," she blinked her bright red eyes as she replied, "And I'm not even remotely interested." Harribel's eyebrows rose sharply in response, bringing a twittering giggle from Katalina. "Look, Vasto Lorde, it is in my very nature to be solitary and I must say I prefer it that way."

Harribel's brows slid back down over her eyes, which were narrowing in annoyance. "Katalina, I'm telling you this for your own good." She gestured beyond the dunes. "I have two other companions with me, strong female Adjuchas like yourself. Strength in numbers is key." She lowered her hand to her hip again. "After all, females are considered a target for other Hollows."

Katalina snorted. "Well, I'll just have to prove them wrong, won't I?"

Harribel frowned, not that it was visible beneath her armor, watching as the owl opened her large wings. "You do realize you've made yourself easy prey right? You may not live to regret it."

"They couldn't make me prey if they tried."

And with a beat of her wings, she was airborne, gliding off into the night. Harribel watched her go and shook her head, making her way back to her own home. _Foolish child... She's opted for her own destruction…_


	3. Decisions, Decisions: Wings Up

Katalina was perched in her tree like always, eyes closed as she left the rest of her senses open for prey. Admittedly, though, her mind was wandering. As that Vasto Lorde Tier Harribel had told her many years ago, male Hollows—mostly fellow Adjuchas—had decided that she would make a tasty morsel. Little did they know that she developed the same opinion the moment she sensed their presence. This would lead to vicious battles, with the intruders fighting for power and her for the same, as well as to protect her territory. Some battles were longer and harder than others, but she still came out victorious. Her white feathers were dyed with significantly more splotches of brown, some areas still a dark red from recent skirmishes. Only some of the blood was hers. As hard as some battles were, she still stood by what she said; she was a solitary creature and she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

She felt the hunger nagging at her again, drawing her out of her prideful reverie and into the present moment. It had been well over three months since a reasonably powerful Hollow had wandered anywhere near her nest. Word must have been getting around the desert that this was the area to avoid. Her eyes opened and she took to the air when she felt something coming, immediately diving for it once she had it in her sights. The small lizard barely had time to scream before it was impaled on her back talon.

A curse slipped from her as she returned to the branch, taking the creature and swallowing it whole before returning to her resting pose. She was currently sustaining herself on these dumb little Hollows that skittered over the desert. "Groundlings," as she called them. Unfortunately, their spiritual pressure hardly amounted a snack, let alone enough to satisfy her without having to eat at least nine in one sitting; the hunger had become stronger as of late. Her feathers fluffed in agitation when she thought about what Harribel had told her and she could only huff. The blonde might have been able to force herself to suppress her natural instinct, but Katalina was not nearly so noble, nor did she want to be.

 _Survival of the fittest._ She reminded herself over and over again. _Kill or be killed._

One thing was certain, she determined as she opened her eyes, and that was if she stayed here, she would never find any worthy prey again. This perch had served her well for more than three centuries, but if the prey was no longer coming to her, she would have to go to her prey if she had any hope of surviving.

Giving a squeeze to the branch in her talons as a form of final goodbye, Katalina opened her wings and into the sky she went, off to find her next meal.


	4. In Pursuit of Prey

Katalina hardly ever landed nowadays and when she did, it was only to eat and take a brief rest. It had initially irked her, having to leave her territory, but she had soon come to enjoy living on the wing. She had become even stronger from constantly flapping and gliding through the air and following the strongest spiritual pressure to her next target, which was what she was doing right now.

It was a calm, clear night, the moon just entering the gibbous phase and casting a gentle light over the land. Katalina was hot on the trail of something juicy, she just knew it. She had been gliding peacefully in the moonlight when she suddenly picked up the scent and decided to alter her course. She was obviously going in the right direction, as the spiritual pressure seemed to grow more tangible with every beat of her wings; however, from what she could feel, she was not the only one that was after it. She sensed a cluster of other beings' spiritual pressure as well, probably a pack of roaming nomads like her. Six, if she was reading this correctly. She started to fly a little faster now, not wanting to lose this morsel to anyone.

Within moments, she was turning her head to look down at the sand, eyes scanning for all that she sensed. A Hollow that looked like a masked pig was lumbering across the desert, trying to get away from the group that was closing in on it. Pulling towards the front of the pursuing group was a panther-like Adjucha with white plating all over his body that only left his black paws free, every one of his strides radiating power and malice. He was smaller than most Adjuchas she had seen, especially compared to the others he was with, but he was obviously the leader of this pack. And the best hunter by the looks of it. She giggled to herself at that thought, tucking her wings into her body and diving out of the sky. She fancied herself a good huntress and figured it would be interesting to see which one out of the two of them got to the prize first.

Grimmjow was running at full force after this Hollow. He and his subjects—he was the king, after all—were determined in their quest to become Vasto Lorde-class, and this fat morsel was the one he was sure would push them over the top. His blue eyes never left their target and he pushed himself to go ever faster, not caring that his subjects were falling a bit behind. _I've gotcha now, you sorry bastard!_ He grinned to himself, eager to make that final leap and take the pig down to the ground.

Just as he had pushed himself off of the ground, a flash of white, brown and black passed in front of him and suddenly, the pig was gone. Eyes going wide, he abruptly pivoted as soon as his paws hit the sand so he could look at the sky. His lips pulled into a snarl when he saw an owl Adjucha flying overhead, the Hollow he intended to be his impaled on its talons. Letting out an angry roar, he immediately took off after it, ignoring the calls of his subjects as he ran. He kept his eyes on it the whole time, paws carrying him tirelessly across the dunes. His rage gave him more strength than he knew he had, which was saying a lot considering his strength was unparalleled, and he was catching up quickly. He watched as the bird descended, probably landing somewhere nearby, a thought that added some extra pep to his step. Dashing to the top of a dune, he looked down to see that the pig's chest had already been slashed open and the owl Adjucha was tearing out hunks of meat to stuff into its mouth. He growled again, going up onto his toes. "HEY!" He bellowed. The owl barely looked up to regard him and went back to eating almost immediately, only serving to anger him further. "Hey, asshole, I'm talking to you!"

"So, I gathered…" came the immediate response.

And to add insult to injury, this Adjucha was a female! Grimmjow was ready to pounce at any moment, ready to make this presumptuous bird pay, and the playful lilt to her voice was certainly doing nothing to distract him from his rage. His claws crept out from their hiding place in his paws, scratching into the sand. "You stole my prey!"

Katalina's head tilted mid-bite as she looked up at the panther, her red orbs unreadable. "No, I didn't." She countered, continuing with her feast; she was right about it being delicious, the fact that she'd won the imagined contest making it all the sweeter.

Her indifference only served to make Grimmjow angrier and all of his teeth became visible as he growled. "Don't you play dumb with me!"

"I'm not playing anything, I'm simply stating a fact." She met his glare with an unblinking stare. "If you were a better hunter," she tore off a large chunk of it and threw it at him, "This _would_ be your prey."

Grimmjow's nostrils flared as he stared at the bloody flesh on the ground. "I don't need any damn charity from you!" he roared, lunging at her.

She collected the rest of the pig in her talons and lifted into the air, some of her tail feathers torn out by the panther's swipe. She looked down at him. "I hope you didn't think I was just going to sit there and let you kill me, kitty cat!" She chirped.

His tail flicked back and forth as he stared up at her. "Get back down here!"

"No thank you."

And with that, she flew away, leaving Grimmjow to stare at her shrinking figure in anger. He felt his teeth grinding together and another feral growl rumbled through him. _That bird better hope we never meet again!_

The words, though ordinary, were thought with the malice of a full-blown swear. He took the meat that was in front of him anyway, though, vowing that the next Hollow he found would be the one that completes his quest.


	5. Every Meal Has Its Price

Katalina grunted as her body hit the sand and rolled over so that she was on her feet again, her breath ragged and her feathers ruffled. She looked down at the sand, seeing that it was her own blood staining it as opposed her opponent's. She glowered at the other Adjucha, a large one with the body of a python that was currently laughing at her plight. She watched as he flicked her blood off of his bony, barbed tail, which had her red eyes, usually devoid of emotion, set into an angry glare. It was not so much because of the one who inflicted the wound, but rather for allowing herself to be wounded in the first place.

As the years rolled by, her desire to become stronger had grown, and her appetite along with it. In recent days, it took more to satisfy her for shorter intervals of time and she had become ravenous because of it. However, against this opponent, that hunger had clouded her better judgment. When she had seen the Adjucha from the sky, pure savage instinct took over her so quickly she forsook her sensibility as a hunter, diving carelessly after it. She was not expecting it to whip around and attack her first. Or to have to go on the defense as it lunged and struck at her, which resulted in the ruffling and tearing of her feathers and the bruises she felt all over, as well as the dripping gash running across her plumage. She angrily rushed at him, intent on tearing the laughter right out of him.

She cursed herself for her own foolishness when she suddenly found herself in his constricting grasp. This stupid snake was fast. "What'ssss wrong, birdie?" The python taunted her in his own hissing tone, giving her a hard enough squeeze to draw a sharp cry from her. "You don't want to make thisss sso easy for me, do you?"

And that was the last straw. "On the contrary." She grunted out her protest as she leaned down, biting at the meaty coil closest to her mouth and forcing him to release her. "If you want to take me, you'll have to work for it."

Katalina abruptly opened her large wings, stirring up a cloud of sand around her for cover as she put some distance between the two of them. Irritated by her proud boasting, the python let out a loud hiss, diving into the cloud with bared fangs. He only ended up biting into sand since she had already flown over his head to hover behind him. Hearing him yell out an angry curse, she smirked to herself and tilted her body so that her wings were angled towards the ground, dashing around in circles as fast as she could to stir up another sand plume. She let out a shrill caw and abruptly left the cloud and went on to make another one. As expected, the snake went to strike the plume where he had just heard her voice. Stealing his visibility, she was going to force him to rely on sound, which she intended to further impede by creating these near-sonic boom sandstorms around him. She would shriek randomly, either quickly changing locations or flying up higher to avoid his diving strikes. She knew that it had to be frustrating and that was exactly what she was counting on. It was starting make him sloppy.

The python watched as three more whirlwinds rose up around him, his head whipping around in an attempt to follow Katalina's movements. His beady eyes went wide and he hissed in surprise when heard another boom behind him, shrinking back from it. "Where are you?!" he demanded.

"Right where I need to be!"

Her voice was close and he smirked at that, springing himself straight up as the dust began to clear. He barely had time to see that she was also diving down at him, however, because her extended talons went straight through his eyes. He hissed loudly and scrunched up as he hit the sand, writhing and thrashing wildly. She wove away from his barbed tail as it swung aimlessly through the air for her. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you, you sssstupid bird!" He screamed at the pain, feeling the blood leaking from his eyes. "Ssshriek again, you harpy, I dare you! I don't need my ssssight to beat you—"

His words were cut off quite literally when he felt what seemed to be eight curled spikes driving into his neck. He tried desperately to breathe and bite out a curse, only to make ugly gurgling noises as blood bubbled into his mouth. Katalina stared at him, wishing that she hadn't blinded him so that he could see the fire in her eyes and relish in the terror that would likely be in his. "I told you I wouldn't make it easy for you." She cooed, ripping her claws out of his neck and taking his throat with it.

Blood spewing from his throat like a fountain, the python Adjucha slumped into the ground, Katalina landing next to him. She at last allowed her own body to relax and as the adrenaline wore off, her injuries began to feel more pronounced. By the feel of it, her cut was leaking significantly more now, but that was to be expected after doing all of that top speed flying directly after being squeezed. Still, she felt proud of herself. This was an opponent that she had grossly underestimated and who had issued her more injuries than she had dealt out and yet, she had conquered him. Quality over quantity. And, to take a mental stab at Tier Harribel, she had done it by her own skill and strength, the latter of which would only increase after this meal.

Katalina glared at the fallen Adjucha. "Worm." She practically spat the word at him, gobbling up a big hunk of his flesh from her talons.

She sighed. Even though this was a lot to go through, she knew for a fact that this was only going to last her so long before she would need to go after an even bigger opponent. She needed to get stronger and become the best warrior she could be. Fight harder. Reach higher. Get stronger.

She froze when she heard a slow clap coming from behind her. "Well, well… That was quite a show."


	6. Deal With the Devil: He Wears White

As far as Katalina knew, this male voice did not sound like any Hollow she'd ever encountered before. Turning her head slowly, she saw that she was, in fact, correct. The man she found herself looking at was most definitely not a Hollow. She could tell that he was tall for his kind, even as she looked down at him. His skin was a pale peach and short chocolate waves were slicked back, one single strand hanging down over the bridge of his nose. His face was a calm, even mask, adorned with a little smile. His eyes bothered her, though; there was just something about them that left her frozen in place, a sort of coldness overpowered the natural chill of the desert winds. At first glance, he looked more like a human than anything else, but the way he was dressed and the sword dangling from his hip told her otherwise. She never thought that she would ever see these Shinigami that she had heard so many rumors about, nor that she would see more than one at a time.

The brown-haired man was flanked by two other Shinigami. One had dark skin and long black braids, pulled away from his face with the band hidden beneath the bright orange scarf circling his neck. A strange sort of visor was covering his eyes, for the most part shielding them from view. His face was decidedly neutral and he did not seem to be much of a threat, as opposed to the silver haired Shinigami standing beside him. This one's pale face was contorted by a wide, serpentine grin that reminded her of the Hollow that she was currently ingesting, his closed eyes adding to that illusion. She should have been more wary of the ones whose eyes she couldn't see—the eyes are the window to the soul, after all—but it was the brown-eyed Shinigami that was slowly making her feathers separate and fluff with anxiety. How dark of a soul must one have to unnerve an Adjucha?

"There is no need to be frightened." The man spoke with a soft voice and took a step forward, waving a hand at the remains of the python Adjucha on the ground. "We were merely passing through and couldn't help but notice your little skirmish. Very impressive diversionary tactic."

Katalina wanted nothing more than to fly away, to get away from this man and his cold eyes, but she felt as though her whole body was trapped by his glance. She swallowed thickly, her food going down like a heavy lead ball, and stared him down with as much indifference as he could muster. "A girl has to eat, you know."

Those were the only words she could get out before she felt her voice would shake.

The silver-haired Shinigami looked her up and down to survey her injuries. "Nearly got your wings clipped there, sweetheart!" He taunted her, making her bristle. "You should be more careful."

Her apprehension slowly ebbed as she focused her attention on him, replaced by irritation at his crack at her pride, as well as his familiarity towards her. "The key word being 'nearly'…" Her words had a lightness to them, but her talons scratched into the sand in warning. "As you can see, I'm still standing."

"Ooh!" His freakishly wide grin seemed to expand as he chuckled. "Such fighting spirit!"

The dark skinned one only sighed, shaking his head and muttering something that was most likely an insult. "Now, now, Gin… There's no need to tease." Katalina almost visibly shivered when that brown-eyed man spoke again, calling her attention to him again. "What is your name, my dear?"

And the anxiety was back. She did not trust this man and she knew that if he was talking to her so calmly, she who dwarfed him in size, he obviously had some tricks up his sleeve. Her voice was calmer now, as she didn't want to provoke him. "Katalina Tarumi."

"Sosuke Aizen." The corners of his mouth ticked up and he put a hand on his chest in a short, elegant bow, his eyes frightening eyes never leaving hers. "It is always a pleasure to meet a kindred spirit with similar aspirations."

Her head almost instantly tilted to the side, silently urging him to elaborate.

"We both have a near insatiable desire to reach our highest potential. Look around you." He opened his arms, turning over one shoulder to gaze at the desert beyond. "Surely you do not believe this is all there is for you, flying aimlessly over the desert, hoping that your next kill will be the one that helps you rise to the next level."

Katalina's feathers began to fluff up again, curiosity blending with her fear this time. This arrogant man spoke as if he knew her, and it would not have been so unnerving if he wasn't correct. Since her evolution from a Gillian, the only thing that had been driving her was the need to get stronger. Getting better results nowadays unfortunately meant challenging bigger opponents, which resulted in near losses like the one she had just experienced. With each of those narrow victories, she embraced the possibility that the next battle could result in her blood darkening the desert sand.

"What if I told you I could make that happen for you?" She blinked, having almost forgotten his presence as she lost herself in thought. He had taken another step forward and was standing right in front of her, offering that same pasted smile. "What if I told you that I could help you to your highest level without you ever needing to consume another Hollow again?"

Once again, it was like he was peering into her mind, speaking directly to her own worries. While causing her great mental discomfort, as well as just being downright creepy, she would be lying to say that she was not intrigued by his words. That still seemed a lot for a single Shinigami to offer, though, and when something seemed too good to be true, she had learned by experience that it usually was.

Her neck swerved as she leaned down to look at him head on. "That isn't possible."

"My dear, I would not be offering this to you if it were not possible." His eyes seemed to become more sinister and the way his lips slowly tilted into a smirk confirmed it. "However, you cannot expect to get something for nothing."

 _Should have seen that coming…_ Katalina thought to herself bitterly, eyes narrowing.

"Don't worry, it's nothing you can't afford." He brought his hand to his chest once again, the smirk growing wider. "All I ask is that when you are at your peak, you lend me your strength to help me reach mine."

Katalina stood upright again, her eyes scanning over the Shinigami, from the braided mute, to the silver-haired snake, to the terrifying man standing directly before her. Weighing her options, she realized rejecting this offer could go one of two ways. On the one hand, she could reject him and walk away unscathed, excluding her current injuries which would no doubt take some time to heal, unfortunately; on the other, she could reject him and he would simply put her out of her misery at that very moment. Seeing as he claimed that they were alike, the latter was most definitely within the realm of possibilities. Now if she were to accept, she would be able to bypass all of this near-suicidal hunting business, rise to the highest form available, and all it would cost her was an allegiance to a very scary man.

…Alright, so maybe with the last part in account it seemed like a bad deal, but weighing it against the other rejection options, it was still the better choice.

She breathed out a sigh. "What the hell." She said at last, leaning back to stand herself upright. "I've got nothing better to do and if it gets me stronger, I'm all for it."

Aizen let out a low chuckle. "Very good…"


	7. Fresh Faces & Old Acquaintances

Katalina struggled to open her eyes, the feeling akin to lifting two lead curtains. Her body felt equally as heavy and her head was pounding; from what she could feel, she was on her back. Last she remembered, she had been walking through the desert with those Shinigami. For the most part, the trip was spent silver-haired one, Gin Ichimaru, had been talking her ear off, leaving her no room to get a word in even if she wanted to.

When she asked where they were going, Aizen—Lord Aizen, as he requested to be addressed—had told her that Las Noches was to be their new home. An odd thing, to be sure because in the first place, everyone knew it was King Barragan's domain, and in the second, it was essentially framework. Then, Aizen—Lord Aizen, she reminded herself again—took out this strange purple jewel, calling it the Ho…go…something or other, and explained all that it was capable of. And then that smiley bastard Ichimaru was suddenly in her face and pulled her mask off. Everything sort of ran together at that point. Pain. Screaming. Falling down. More screaming. Sand. Everything fuzzy. Dark red. Darker red. Darker still.

Black.

Her lips pursed in annoyance at the memory.

Wait…lips?

Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, her body immediately protesting the sudden movement. She cautiously scanned her surroundings, feeling her forehead wrinkle in confusion. She had been lying down on a firm bed, which was pushed beneath the window of at the far side of a room. The room itself was decently sized and clearly built for one person, which worked out perfectly for someone who preferred to be alone. There was a sofa not too far away and there was a small table in front of that, a bowl of black and white rocks resting on top of it. A cupboard was against the wall behind the couch and there was a closet in the adjacent wall. Looking across the room from where she was sitting she saw two doors, one a straight shot across from the bed and another in the room's fourth wall. _I wonder where they lead…_ she thought, planting her hands on the mattress and swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

When her feet hit the floor, she considered how natural the movement felt despite her unnatural new anatomy; it was too weird for words. She stared down at her legs, which were covered by wide-legged white pants similar to the ones she had seen the Shinigami wearing earlier, and lifted them, pointing her toes within her shoes; she had five on each foot now! Her hands fell to her thighs to feel the soft fabric of the pants, and then she lifted them for a closer inspection. They were a light caramel, the ten slender digits tipped with long black nails that almost reminded her of her talons. She was reasonably bewildered by all of this, seeing the last thing she remembered about her body was the fact that she had wings, not hands. Shrugging that note off, she made way to explore the rest of the room, starting with those doors.

She took a quick inhale and exhale and rose to her feet, albeit with a bit of a sway; this was a whole new body to learn, after all, as well as the closest she had ever been to the ground. She shakily made her way towards one of the doors, putting her hands to it and pushing on it. It didn't go outwards, so maybe…yes, it moved sideways. She poked her head across the threshold to see a long hallway stretching out to either side. It was none too exciting, so she went back inside and closed the door, deciding to check out the one across from the bed. This one also slid to the side but led to a different room that was almost as big as the adjoining one and much brighter. She stepped inside, walking towards the toilet against the wall facing the door and just beside it, there was a square sink with a silver faucet and knobs. She turned her head and crossed the tile floor to the circular tub she saw there. It was smooth and cool to her fingertips and indulging her avian instinct to nest, she climbed inside it and sat down. It was deep enough for her to rest her back comfortably against its wall and had the same silver faucet and knobs as the sink, albeit bigger. For a moment, she wondered how she knew what all of these things were despite never seeing them before, but she figured that this was all part of the upgrade that Aizen had been telling her about.

She nearly self-corrected with the title again, but figured in the sanctity of her own mind, she could call him whatever she wished.

After relaxing in the tub for a spell, she climbed out of it, doing a double-take when she saw a woman standing in front of a bathtub staring back at her from a long piece of glass. Instinctively, she tensed and cautiously took a few steps forward, the image also stepping forward until she was directly in front of the mirror. After having a minute-long stare-down, she lifted a hand to touch the glass and confirm her suspicion: it was her.

She had never actually seen a reflection of herself before, even as an Adjucha, but this new form seemed to be above even Vasto Lorde. Lean muscle sculpted her body, the majority of it focused in her arms and torso, for obvious reasons. She looked herself up and down, marveling at her clothes. As she had seen before, she was wearing white hakama, but now she could see that there was a black sash decorating her hips and wedged white boots were on her feet. A skin-tight asymmetrical crop top hugged her upper body, the sleeve on the left side going down to her forearm and a black band hugging her bare right bicep. The bottom hem of the shirt fell just above her ribs, exposing her waist. She planted her hands on her hips and then dragged them up to squeeze her breasts, tilting her head with a little hum; they looked really good in this shirt. Even with her limited knowledge of humanoid form, she knew one thing for sure. "I'm freakin' hot."

Her Hollow hole was visible now; it was hidden beneath her right wing as an Adjucha, but in this humanoid form it was in her right shoulder. Big, bright candy apple eyes stared back at her, a white crescent overlaying a black crescent decorating the apples of her cheeks. Her hair was dark and wavy, the front portion parted down the middle to frame her face as it fell just below her shoulder line, the tresses feather soft beneath her fingertips. In the back, the waves tumbled down to her waist. She could feel that the top portion was held back by something hard, so she tilted her head just slightly and a smug grin tilted her full lips at what she saw. The thing that she had felt holding up her hair was the top half of an owl skull. It served as a reminder that no matter how her body had changed, it would never change the fact that, at her core, she was still Katalina Tarumi.

There was suddenly a knock at the hallway door, making her turn her head from her reflection. "Miss Tarumi." A soft voice called to her.

Looking back at the mirror and taking a breath, she let her expression drop and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the corners of her mouth had lifted ever so slightly, but the little smile did not reach her eyes at all. The red orbs were clear of any traceable emotion, just like they used to be when she was an Adjucha.

With an approving nod, she turned on her heel and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her as she went to open the other one. Sliding it open, she saw the braided Shinigami standing in the hallway. She had learned from Ichimaru that his name was Kaname Tousen. She dipped her head, the small tell-nothing smile never leaving her face. "Is there something you need, Captain Tousen?"

"Lord Aizen wishes to see you in his throne room." He replied simply, lifting a hand to gesture towards her bed. "He also requests that you bring your zanpakuto with you."

She turned around to look in the direction he had indicated, her head tilting with curiosity when she noticed the large chest on the floor by the head of her bed. When she got to it, she crouched and balanced herself of the balls of her feet, pushing it open. Resting at the bottom of the chest was a single sheathed katana with a purple hilt and standard guard, a small note on top of it. " _This belongs to you. Wield it well."_

She carefully lifted it from the box, running her fingers along the intricate black floral pattern on one side of the white sheath with one hand as she drew it with the other. It was a completely ordinary sword with a standard guard and a beautifully polished blade, so clean that she could see her reflection in it. It radiated with a strange, but not altogether foreign power and she could have sworn that she heard a quiet hooting in her ears as she held it. Disregarding it for the time being, she sheathed the sword and stood up, shutting the chest with her foot.

After walking up and down a series of white hallways that she would definitely have to commit to memory on the way back to her room, Tousen pushed open some wide double doors to reveal a giant throne room. Like everything else in this blasted place, everything in it was white and looking around at the way things were set up, this looked like it used to be Barragan's open-air chamber; Las Noches had sure gotten a major expansion since the Shinigami had come. Her eyes scanned over the room for a moment and after finding nothing of great remark, she stared at Tousen's back as he walked to stand at the throne's side. "Lord Aizen" was seated there, his face in its usual calm mask as he casually looked down on her. His attire had changed slightly from what she had seen before, now sporting a long-sleeved white coat over his Shinigami uniform—Katalina was really beginning to hate the color white. "My dear Katalina, how wonderful to see you." He greeted her, his voice still dripping with that same bone-chilling quality as when he had first met her. "I trust that your two weeks of rest was beneficial?"

Though she was slightly panicked on the inside when she heard that she'd been asleep that long, she refused to let it show on her face, opting to shrug her shoulders instead. She placed a hand on her hip, staring up at him. "It's taking a bit to get used to this new form, but I feel the best I ever have." She said, her voice oddly perky in spite of her, for the most part, deadpan expression.

His smile expanded ever so slightly, leaning more towards that calculating smirk she had seen in the desert just moments before her world had gone dark. "That's good to hear." He nodded his head towards the sword at her hip. "And I see that you have brought your zanpakuto, as per my instructions."

"I take it this is part of the transformation?"

"In a way, yes." He perched one elbow on the armrest of his throne, leaning his chin on the back of his hand. "As you may have already guessed, your form as an Arrancar is a far cry from your Adjucha form. However, as much as your power has increased already, the brunt of it is actually sealed within that sword."

She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword, allowing a simple raise of her eyebrow to show that his words interested her. That would explain why she didn't recoil from the force she felt radiating from it; the power was hers. "And how exactly do I learn to unlock this?" she asked, pouring that same charm over her voice as before.

He chuckled at her eagerness. "All in due time, dear girl… You must learn to walk before you can run."

"Lord Aizen~" another voice called.

They all turned to the double doors to see Gin strolling in with his ever-present grin, another female Arrancar trailing in behind him. She was a little bit taller than Katalina with messy blonde hair which stood out against her tan skin, done in three lazy braids going down her back. A high collared black and white jacket concealed the lower half of her face, as well as her arms and hands, but barely covered the bottom half of her ample chest, leaving the entirety of her toned torso uncovered while her hakama hung from her hips. Katalina began to wonder if Aizen was making some sort of harem of his female Arrancars.

Katalina's surprise at the fact that she knew this Arrancar only showed itself in the form of a slow blink. It was the aqua eyes that confirmed her identity; even after all these years, disdain was hooded beneath those thick blonde lashes. "Hello, Katalina." She greeted her, folding her arms beneath her chest.

She couldn't see her mouth, she just knew the blonde was frowning at her. "Harribel." She replied.

"Ah, good!" Gin cheered, casually passing the two women to stand at the other side of Aizen's throne. "You already know each other, so that makes it easier!"

"Tier Harribel," Aizen called Katalina's attention to him again, leaning back to relax in his throne as he folded one leg over the other, "Is going to be the one to help you hone your new abilities, in this as well as your released form until you are able to master them. Is that understood?"

Katalina looked back at Harribel, allowing the corners of her mouth to tip up to show her teeth, but being careful to keep the smile far away from her eyes. "Swell."

Judging by the silence that followed, no one could tell whether that statement was genuine or sarcastic. And that was just the way Katalina wanted it.


	8. The Illusion of Choice

Katalina had become accustomed to life in Las Noches and, through her training with Harribel and her fracciones, had become a fearsome warrior in her own right; not Espada level, but certainly stronger than most and tenacious to boot. The wavy-haired woman skipped through the halls of the grand palace, the same smile she had put on since the day she had awoken never faltering. As far as any of the other residents knew, it never left her face and with her eyes never changing, with the exception of the way the pupils changed in different lighting, no one ever knew what was going through her head. Coupled with her cheerful tone, it left other Arrancars ill at ease, wondering what would happen should that smile leave her face. She did not speak often, but when she did, it was usually to idly toss out an insult as she passed by or to ask someone to "kindly excuse her" when they were in her way. She could not say she had made any friends, but every now and again, she would silently stand on top of a tower with Ulquiorra Cifer; since they were both creatures of the sky, it was only natural they would be drawn to heights.

As of now, she was out and about because she had been summoned. Something about Aizen wanting to check on her progress, which she was pretty sure he already knew, considering the one who trained her was one of his "dear Espadas." She rolled her eyes at that term of endearment, knowing that it was purely for show, but there was no way she was going to challenge him on that; after watching what happened to those who thought it wise to openly question him, she knew better.

She at last made it to the designated place and, taking a breath, she pushed the large door open and took a step inside. The first thing she did was tip over at her waist in a simple bow. "You wanted to see me, Lord Aizen?" she greeted him, lifting her head to regard the rest of the people in the room.

The entirety of the Espadas were there, sitting at a long table with Aizen at the head, Gin and Tousen sitting on either side of the brown-haired Shinigami. Other than the _Tres_ and the _Cuarta_ , she had never personally interacted with any of Aizen's heavy hitters, but she could at least put numbers to faces. Each of them had a different reaction to her presence, ranging from a leering stare to curiosity to complete indifference and everything in between. In response, she simply tucked her hands behind her back and turned her smile to Aizen, waiting for him to break the silence instead of letting her stew beneath their scrutiny, which is unfortunately what he seemed determined to make her do. His attire had changed once again, following the nearly all white dress code that seemed to be prominent in Las Noches. His shikakusho and hakama were white now and there was a purple sash tied around his hips, the long white coat pulling it all together. "Indeed, I did." He finally spoke, staring her down. "Harribel has told me that you have been excelling in your training."

She shook her head. "She's far too kind!" she chirped casually, "I still have quite a few things to learn."

A low chuckle came from Aizen. "Flattery or not, she claims that you can successfully spar with her _Tres Bestias_." He clasped his hands in front of him on the table. "That in mind, I believe it's time that you were assigned."

"Assigned?" She raised an eyebrow, moving her hands to her hips. "As in, becoming someone's _fracción_?"

"Indeed." One corner of his mouth tilted with a smirk. "I believe there is at least one here who could use you, but do you have a preference?"

"Pass."

A hush went over the room at how easily her decline tumbled out. Gin's shoulders shook as he tried not to laugh. Tousen's hand tightened on the hilt of his zanpakuto. Ulquiorra was emotionless, only scrolling his eyes over to her in silent question. The one with the pink hair chuckled and the one with the electric blue hair sucked his teeth. Harribel narrowed her eyes at Katalina's rudeness. In the course of training her, the only thing the _Tres_ was not able to get under control was her mouth. "Do not forget your place, Katalina," she scolded her, her voice a notch above her usual talking volume.

The dark haired Arrancar in question glanced at the blonde, shaking her head. "I haven't," she assured her, "But keep in mind that he did just ask me if I had any preference." She turned her attention back to Aizen, dipping her head briefly. "Forgive me, but just because I am an Arrancar now, does not mean that my basic instincts have left me. I still prefer to be alone. And to put it quite bluntly… I hate everyone in this room equally."

At that, Gin could not help the snort of laughter that burst past his lips. Tousen let out a little sigh. "At least she is honest." He could admit that much.

She lifted a hand to make a gesture over the entire table, her voice taking on a more arrogant tone. If she had seen the warning glance from Harribel, she would have kept her mouth shut. "On the off chance I even feel like aligning myself with any of them, I will go with whoever I want when I myself—"

The smile dropped from Katalina's face and she went silent as she suddenly found herself crumbling under the weight of an immense spiritual pressure. Hands tightened into fists at her side as she tried to hold her ground, but despite her determination, her body betrayed her and her legs buckled beneath her. Her knees crashed into the floor and she clenched her teeth, a sweat breaking out over her skin as she tried to prevent her body from folding over on itself. In her slightly hunched posture, she lifted her head just enough to be able to glance at Aizen, she saw that he was on his feet now, staring down at her. His face had not changed, but those cold brown eyes…they promised the absolute worst.

"We mustn't be so hasty with our words, my dear." He chided her, his gentle voice carrying a bone-chilling edge in it. "I was merely asking to show you some semblance of courtesy, which is clearly more than you deserve since I can see that such respect is not mutual. With your… concerns in mind, I am sure we can reach something of a compromise." He increased the density of his spiritual pressure to the point where Katalina had to catch herself with her hands to keep her body from being completely flat on the floor. "You will not be officially assigned to anyone, which will allow you to keep that independence of yours. However, if I should wish it, you will be assigned to work with any Espada of my choosing until you have fulfilled your task. Once your assignment is over, you are free to act as you see fit."

Just as abruptly as it had swollen, Aizen's spiritual pressure ebbed away and took Katalina's strength with it, her body collapsing on the floor and shallow breaths leaving her as she tried to make up for all of the oxygen she had lost. Aizen lowered himself into his chair again, his gaze sweeping over the table to regard his Espada with a dangerous smile. "Is this going to be a problem?" He asked them, raising an eyebrow. They were all silent in response, as he had made it perfectly clear he did not want to be questioned today. "Good." He looked at Katalina, who was trying to get to her feet again. "Katalina?"

Her whole body quaked as she slowly pushed herself up, that pins and needles feeling of reawakening nerves crawling all over her. The wavy haired Arrancar kept her eyes on the floor and made sure her bangs kept her face from view, putting her effort into regulating her breathing and preventing her trembling showing. She took as deep a breath as she could and let it out slowly, lifting her head to show that her smile had returned to her face. "Thank you, Lord Aizen," she said, forcing cheerfulness into her voice again as she tucked her hands behind her back, "I am honored."

He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and she bowed quickly in response, gliding from the room. She walked a little way down the hallway and then slipped into a shadowy alcove, allowing herself to slump against it and then slide to the ground. The tremors she had hidden from the Espadas came out with full force and she used a shaking hand to wipe the sweat from her brow. She had lived in the desert under endless moonlight for years, but she had never felt so cold until now. This man she had pledged herself to was far beyond frightening, but she could not go back now. It was too late to turn back, but not too early for regret.

On the plus side, at least she didn't have to be permanently aligned with an Espada; she wouldn't know what to do if she ended up being with the _Quinta_ and his creepier-than-Gin smile.

"…Ugh." The thought itself was enough to make her stiffen in revulsion.


	9. When Predators Collide: Game On

**Ana: To all of my lovelies, thank you for reading and thank you for the faves, and most importantly, thank you for following Katalina on her adventure.**

* * *

Life had been slow as of late. Since that meeting a few years back, Katalina had only been assigned to Coyote Starrk, Harribel, and Ulquiorra and just like Aizen had promised her, she was free to resume her solitude when they returned to Las Noches. Because of this, she was now referred to as the "Unaffiliated _Fracción"_ by other Arrancars. Since it added just the right layer of mystery to her persona, she didn't mind the moniker.

She reached her arms over her head, her muscles flexing with the stretch. She had just finished using Apacci's face as a punching bag in Harribel's palace—calling your opponent a fatass was hardly sportsmanlike conduct—and was now making her way towards the mess hall to grab a snack. There weren't that many people in there, thank goodness, because she wasn't really in the mood to pretend to be social today, planning to just grab something and go back to her room. As soon as she walked in, she spotted a single fried fish on a stick sitting proudly on the counter like it was meant for her. And it was fresh, too! She giggled to herself and sauntered over to it, so focused on the snack that she didn't see that someone else was closing in on it, too. She snatched it up by the stick, and her smile, while unchanging, bled into her eyes for once as she lifted it to her lips, humming with satisfaction.

"Oi!"

Katalina had just taken a bite when felt herself being grabbed by the shoulder and then shoved against the counter. Bright red met with cold blue as she found herself staring up at the _Sexta_ Espada, who was glaring down at her. She seemed unfazed, pulling the fish from her mouth. Grimmjow's eyes followed after it before they snapped back to Katalina, his eyes narrowing. "That was mine." He snarled at her. She seemed to ignore him, simply turning the fish over to look at its other side with a thoughtful hum, which only served to anger him more. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Looking for your number." She tilted her head and smiled casually at him. "You said it belongs to you, but I don't see it anywhere, though."

The blue haired Espada tightened his grip on her shoulder and shoved her back, a growl rolling through him. "Don't you mock me, twerp!"

Her lips nearly twitched into a frown and her eyebrow ticked at that. Espada or not, no one insulted her and got away unscathed. "Who are you calling a twerp, slowpoke?" She roughly shrugged his hand off of her and turned to leave. "If you had been a little faster, this _would_ be yours. Ta-ta."

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at her retreating figure, her words irritating him. They sounded so familiar, too, like an echo from a dream. Suddenly, his eyes went wide as a realization hit him. Although those weren't the exact words he remembered, he had heard those words come from that voice. Clenching his fists, his body suddenly disappeared with a dull hum. Katalina was lifting the fish to her mouth for that wonderful second bite and also disappeared not a moment later.

They were in the hallway now, Grimmjow's large hand pinning the dark haired Arrancar to the wall by her neck and Katalina looking up at him as he scrutinized her. Before today, he had never interacted with this Arrancar—Aizen had never assigned her to him and she wasn't exactly jumping up and down to volunteer herself—but he _knew_ her. Despite the fact that she looked decidedly silly with the fish hanging out of her mouth, as Grimmjow looked at the black and white crescent pattern beneath those unreadable red eyes, he knew exactly who it was he was dealing with, and she clearly hadn't changed a bit since he last saw her. He bared his teeth at her, tightening his grip. "You're that feathered bitch from the desert!" he practically roared.

Katalina's eyebrows pushed together at his accusation, but as she stared at her attacker, she saw him in a completely different way. Sharp teeth revealed by an angry snarl. Feral blue eyes. Triangular ears lying flat on his head. Spine arching as the predator got on its haunches. As she began to understand, she pulled the fish from her mouth to reveal her smile. "So the kitty cat became a big time Espada… How great!"

Her easygoing tone did nothing to dispel Grimmjow's anger. Actually, it made it ten times worse. "What did I just say about mocking me, brat?!" he snapped, grabbing her by the arm and tossing her towards the opposite wall.

She turned herself in the air and drove the black nails of her free hand into the stone, propping her feet on the wall as she latched onto it. "Oh, I heard you, but I like to do what I want." She explained, tilting her head in the other direction as she smiled down at him. "And right now, I think I want to play with you."

He shoved his hands into his pockets with a huff, glowering up at her. "I don't play."

She jumped down at him and stuck the fish in his mouth just as he finished speaking, giggling at his irritated and slightly bewildered expression. "Don't worry, you'll learn."

If she had looked back at Grimmjow as she walked down the hallway, Katalina would have seen him clench his teeth so hard the fish and the stick snapped in half. "Like hell, I'm gonna play with you!"

She giggled to herself as she skipped back to her quarters, thinking that maybe life in Las Noches wouldn't be so boring after all.


End file.
